Improvement in gas-meters



' 2 sheets-sheet 1. .A. W. SMITH.

"GAS M TER;

No. 75,653, Patented Mar. 17.1868.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. W. SMITH.

GAS METER.-

No. 75,653. Patented Mar. 17, 1868.

THE uoams wnzas co, Prim-ammo" WASHINETONIDIC ANTHONY W; SMITH, OF BIRMINGHAM, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters. Patent No. 75,653, dated March 17, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-METERS.

dig: .Stlgelmle infant to in'tlpn Enters fiateut ant making part of tin semi.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY-CONCERN:

Be it known that 1'. ANTHONY W. SMITH, ofBirminghnm, in the county of Allegheny, in the State of Pennsylvanin, have invented or discovered certain new and valuable Improvements in the Construction of Gas- Metcrs; and I do hercby'declare that the following is a full and oxactdescription thereof, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, like parts in each drawing being indicated by like letters- Eigurc 1 being view of left side, showing reservoir and passages.

Figure 2 being view of condensing-Welland connections.

Figure 3 being full view of right-hand side of meter, with passages exposed.

Figure 4 being sectional view of ffiller. and stop-cocks, jointed.

,Figure 5 being sectional view of drum, case, 'andreservoir.

Figure 6 being front view of meter.

Figure 7 being perspective view of filler. I

The class of gas-meters to which my invention relates and my improvements are applicable is that generally known to the public as the (consumer's) wet meter; and to show the nature of my invention more fully, I shall describe briefly the defects of those as nowconstructed. The essential object to be accomplished and maintained in the construction and use of the wet meter being the keeping of the liquid at a. certain heightor level in the case, should the liquid sink below this level, more gas will pass through than registered, and should it be filled above the level, less gas will be consumed than'registered. For the consumer to effect fraud, it is only.required to withdraw part of the water from the meter, by the medium of any of the screw-plugs found at the front side, and he' will get more gas than is registered against him, or, by inclining the meter in various ways, he can accomplish the same purpose; by one way enabling him to gets full stream without the drum revolving once. Evaporation of the liquid is also a great source of ineorrcctness of the meter. Neglect of the gas-company employees to fill it and properly attend to it, is also the cause of annoyance and fraud; so tha it has become a subject of legislation to provide against the faults of the meters as now used.

The nature of my invention consists in providing the outside case of-the meter with a reservoir, resting I on and attached to the top of it, above the water-level, so constructed, with four passages through the outside case aforesaid, situated at or near the four corners of the water-level, connecting the water in the case with the water in the reservoir, that any change in the height or level of the water, either from evaporation, distorbancc, or any other cause, will unseal either one or all-of these passages, when the water will come down from the reservoir until the passages are sealed. The reservoir is'made-with an air-tight cock, opening into the top of it, to which a filler or trap is to be attached for the purpose of filling it with liquid whenever the supply becomes exhausted.

This invention also does away with the use of the usual attachments, such as valve and valve-chamber, float, the screw-plug connecting with the condensing-well, the. screw-plug at the side, at tho water-levelyand the one also by which the meter is filled with the liquid. Also the constructionof the condensingwell, of suflicicntly great capacity to hold'the condensation for a number of years, with an opening into it from the bottom 5 of the front oblong chamber, which opening is covered by a cap, soldered on, in order that communication to the well can only be made by the gas company when the meter is removed from its place,-and does not afford any opportunity to the consumer of drawing off thewater, as hasbeen done, through the screw-plug.

By these improvements and arrangements of parts, a meter can be constructed, which, when placed ccr- I rectly in position, will preserve the water-level or height always at the same point, and does not afi'ord any opportunity to the consumer to tamper with it, except to his own iniury or detection of the attempt, thus making a correct'rcgister, in use. I

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my gas-meter in any of the known original forms, ie., with outside cylinder-case, with drum 3 revolvinginsidc, exit-pipe and entrypipe, and the oblong front case, in which the worm-wheel, the shaft, machinery, and dials, are usiially located, with this change, that the "entry-pipe connects directly with this in, i no I chamber or front case, the valve-chamber and'flo'at not being used. The-oondensing-well A I enlarge as much as may be required to-contai'n the accumulation of condensed gas and impurities for a number. of years. The bottom of this well connect with theoutside oi' the meter by a passage or punch-hole, B, over which is soldered thecap 0; this taking the place of the usualscrew-plug at that'point. I also abolish, or do not usc, the usual screw-plug opening at the top ofthe front case, by which the meter is filled, nor the water-level screw? plug opening, outhe side of .the fro nt'case. On the top of 'the outside case D, Iconstructa reservoir, E. of any suitable shape, soldered securely to the nasal), fitting over the whole top of the case, and down ahout'onchalf inch below the water-level, and embracing also the exit-pipe F. Through .the outside-case D, about onetenth of an inch below the water l'e'vel'w, and near each corner of the reservoir, so as to bring them near the corners of the, surface of the water in the case D, I make .or insert an oblong hole or passage, G G G, c onheating the 'reservoir and the water in the outside case D. 'These passages can be made of any size. -I find. on experiment that one-half inch long and one-quarter inch broad answers the purpose'vcry well. The onetenth inch from the'level line is to provide for the variation ot' the water, caused by the pressure, changing in difierent parts,as-the gas passes through the drum. Upon the top of the reservoir I attach an ai-r tight stop cock, H, mndewith two bores l 1', separate and distinct, operating, opening, andclosing together by the same key. On the outside of the topof this-cock, Imal'e screw-thread, on'which to fit the cap J. I also make a. vessel, "K, :which I shall call afi'ller, made in this manner, of any convenient form; it has a stop cock, L, with the'bores N N, made exactly similar totlre stop-cock H, and in addition is the swivel-attachment, M, to joint the stop-cooks H and L. Prolongingthe bore N is the tube 0,-which passes up to. the cap of the filler, almost touching it. On thetop'and toone side .of the Miller," I make a screw-plug and screw, P, the tube running into the filler" below the top of the. tube 0. Q is the handle, by which the filler had best he carried. And be it understood here that whileI mention only. four passages, G G G G, in my claims, and think that they will answer the purpose better than a less number, and as well as a greater number, yet I do not wish to be restricted to the use of only that number to accomplish the purpose.

The operation of this meter'is in this wise; In placing the meter in position, it should be placed peri'ectly level. The filicr K'is attached by the swivel Mto the cock H. The cocks being closed, the tiller is filled through the tube Pgthe plug is thenplaced'in the tube P, and the two co'cks H and L areopened. The water is thus trapped down through the tubes Ivand N, making now one continuous tube, and the air or gas .is' trapped up into the, fillerfjby the tubes'I and N" and 0, now making also one continuous tube, After the filler is exhausted the stop coclrs are again olosed,'an d the filler replenished and exhausted again, as described, until the meter is filled up to the water-level, and-the reservoir is completely filled, when no more liquid will flow from'the filler." The stop-cooks are ngainelosed and the filler detached from the meter, answering the some purpose in connection-with another meter,-and the screw-cap J is screwed on the cock H, in order to keep dust from the tubes or bores, and to answer as'sat'ety-guards against the accidental opening of the cock.

It will be observed that all liquid entering. the reservoir E, after the level has reached the upper edge of the passages (ir G G G,:will be'sustained' by thepressnre on the -surface of the liquid in the case D, and that whenever the level by any cause gets below the said edges, the liquid will fall from the reservoir, and its place he filled with gas, until' the said-passages are'sealed by the rising of the liquid.

By makingthe' reservoir'of snfiicient capacity, the meter need not be refilled for some years, and by the enlargement of. the condensing-well, that need be emptied only when the usual repairs aremade. 7

Now, whatI claim as myinventiomand desire to secure by Letters Patent 6f the Uniteii St'ates, is-

1. The construction of the wet gas-meter, with the reservoir E, the passages G G G G, the double stopco'ckH, with the bores I I, and the cap J, all arranged for the-purpose and in the manner substantially :issct forth and described.

2. The manner of constructing the condensing-well A, the passage B, and the cap 0,511 arranged for the purpose substantially as set forthran d described.

8. The filler. K, constructed with the double stop-cook L, with the bores N N, the extension-tube 0 the swivel M, the screw-tube and plug P, and the handle Q, all arranged and operating in thernsnner and for the purposes substantially as set forth and described.

witnesses: ANTHONY W. SMITH,

Sana. H. Baum, .Tmss PATTON, Jr. 

